Slǒli bt śrli, a stet cn rpres its ppl. Ẃ z ɖ YC ćaṇlñ Viktor Orbán’z Hunġri?
Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 7 January 2026
I nǒ inuf abt ɖ iroźn v sivl rîts t fir ẃt I nǎ si in ɖ YC
I sw, at frst hand, ɖ slo iroźn v ɖ rūl v lw in Hunġri. It bgan nt wɖ a sngl śocñ act bt wɖ qayt līgl ćenjz ɖt naroud spes fr dsnt; ć step jusṭfaid az rīzṇbl or nesṣri, untl sudnli, dmocṛsi itslf flt lîc a pformns rɖr ɖn a riaḷti. Woćñ cuṛnt dveḷpmnts in ɖ YC, it’s imposbl nt t fīl an unīzi sns v deja vu.
Ovr ɖ past fy yirz, Britn hz intṛdyst a numbr v lwz ɖt hv drasticli crteld ɖ rît t protest. Ɖ P’līs, Crîm, Sntnsñ n Corts Act 2022 n ɖ Public Ordr Act 2023 grant p’līs swīpñ pǎrz t rstrict demnstreśnz, crimiṇlîz pīsfl tactics n arest ppl on veg grǎndz ɖt ɖe me hv cōzd sirịs dsrupśn or unīz. Hundṛdz v arests hv foloud, includñ fr slo marćñ, lincñ armz, or cariyñ protest iqipmnt. Mni v ɖoz arestd hv fest proṣkśn, wɖ corts handñ dǎn fainz, n in sm cesz, leñʈi impriznmnt fr pīsfl protest activtiz, riinforsñ ɖ ćilñ ifct v ɖz lwz.
Ofiślz se ɖz meźrz r abt baḷns n public ordr. Bt ɖ baḷns hz tipt twdz cntrol. Pṛtstrz n līgl obzrvrz alîc dscrîb cnfyźn abt ẃt z lwfl, incnsistnt p’līs instrux́nz n arbitrri arests, īvn ẃn orġnîzrz hv coorḍnetd wɖ ɖ p’līs in advans. Acṭvists r jeld fr ax́nz ɖt onli a fy yirz ago wd hv rzultd in a disćarj, a fîn or a sspndd sntns. Ɖ rzult z growñ unsrtnti n hezteśn ɖt dscuṛjz ppl fṛm spīcñ ǎt or tecñ t ɖ strīts.
Ɖs patn z ol tù fmiłr. In Viktor Orbán’z Hunġri, oʈoṛterịnizm hz tecn rūt ʈru ɖ stedi cnsoḷdeśn v guvnmntpǎr. Undr ɖ gîz v prizrvñ “ordr” n “sefti”, ɖ guvnmnt hz rstrictd public gaɖ̇rñz n sîḷnst criticl vôsz. Indipndnt insttyśnz, fṛm ɖ jūdiṣ́ri n mīdịreğletrz t yṇvrṣtiz n culćṛl bodiz, hv bn sisṭmaticli unḍmaind or tecn ovr, enśurñ ɖt stetpǎr xtndz intu nirli evri cornr v public lîf.
Hunġri’z xpirịns śoz hǎ frajîl dmocṛsi bcmz ẃn līgl sefgardz irod, n hǎ qcli lwz ritn in ńtṛl lanḡj cn bcm instṛmnts v rpreśn. Ɖt tṛjectri śd srv az a starc wornñ t ɖ YC, ẃr śrincñ spes fr protest n dsnt ʈretnz dmocṛsi. Ɖ rūl v lw dpndz on līgl limits ɖt bînd ɖ stet itslf. Ẃn ɖoz limits wìcn, ẃn veg lejsleśn handz dscreśn t ɖ xektiv or t p’līs, ɖ dor opnz t abys.
Ɖt denjr bcem clir last yir in ɖ YC, ẃn ɖ hî cort rūld ɖt ɖ ɖen homsecṛtri, Suela Braṿmn, hd actd unlwḟli bî lowrñ ɖ protestʈreśhold fṛm “sirịs” t “mor ɖn mînr” dsrupśn, an atmt t mc it īzịr fr p’līs t śut dǎn protests oltgɖr. Ɖ Lebr guvnmnt’s dsiźn t dfnd ɖoz sem unlwfl reğleśnz in cort, rɖr ɖn rpil ɖm, wz a truḅlñ signl ɖt acrs partilînz, ɖ instñt t cntrol dsnt runz dīp.
Ɖs crīpñ xpanśn v stetpǎr hz xtndd far bynd ɖ strīts. Ɖ pṛscripśn v ɖ grūp Paḷstîn Ax́n az a terrist orġnîześn marct an alarmñ ny féz, wɖ sivl dis’bījns itslf cnfletd wɖ xtrimizm. YN xprts wornd ɖt sć ax́nz blŕ ɖ lîn btwn l’jitiṃt actvizm n terrizm, ecowñ oʈoṛterịn tactics t stîfl opziśn undr ɖ gîz v s’kṛti.
Ɖ YC z nt Hunġri, bt ɖ d’rex́n it z tecñ z alarmñli fmiłr. Mc no mstec, ɖs ny oʈoṛti in ɖ YC me nt b wīldd bî ɖoz hu promis t yz it rsponsbli. Lwz ǎtlast guvnmnts. Tde’z “antīdsrupśn” pǎrz cd tmoro b yzd t s’pres strîcs, sîḷns jrṇlists, or targit mnoṛti cḿṇtiz.
Ɖ lésn fṛm Hunġri z hǎ qcli guvnmnts cn mnipylet ɖ lw t srv p’liticl endz, n hǎ hard it z t undu ɖt. Līgl fremwrcs ɖt crtel rîts rerli ste îdl – ɖe r pict p, xpandd n weṗnîzd bî ɖoz hu fînd ɖm cnvińnt.
Ɖ YC oʈoṛtiz, includñ sntṛl n locl guvnmnts, ɖ p’līs n jūdiṣ́ri, cn stl ćenj cors. Ɖt mīnz rpilñ or amndñ ɖ most rpresiv elimnts v rīsnt protestlwz, endñ ɖ ys v no-sspiśn or “sspiśn-les” stop n srć, n cmitñ t fl trnspaṛnsi n acǎntbiḷti in hǎ p’līspǎrz r x’sîzd. Abv ol, it mīnz recgnîzñ ɖt dsnt, no matr hǎ dsruptiv or uncumftbl, z nt a ʈret t dmocṛsi bt its sefgard.
Frīdm v asmbli z nt a gift guvnmnts grant ɖer sitiznz; it z a rît ɖt pṛtcts sitiznz fṛm ɖer guvnmnts. Lc t Hunġri. Britn śd nt hv t lrn ɖt lésn ɖ hard we.
